Urine Processing Method and Urine Testing System

Abstract

The present application provides a urine processing method and a urine testing system. The method comprises processing urine to obtain urinary sediment and supernatant, performing crystallization processing on the supernatant and making analysis to obtain supernatant-related parameters, and making comprehensive analysis through combination of the supernatant-related parameters with urinary sediment-related parameters and urine dry chemistry-related parameters. The system comprises a urine processing module configured to process urine to obtain urinary sediment and supernatant, and a supernatant analysis module configured to perform crystallization processing on the supernatant and make analysis to obtain supernatant-related parameters, and to make comprehensive analysis through combination of the supernatant-related parameters with the urinary sediment-related parameters and the urine dry chemistry-related parameters.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A urine processing method, comprising the steps of:
 S1: processing urine to obtain urinary sediment and supernatant; and   S2: performing crystallization processing on the supernatant and making analysis to obtain supernatant-related parameters;   wherein, in the step S2, performing evaporation-induced crystallization processing on the supernatant at a temperature of 4-55° C., or alternatively performing both evaporation-induced crystallization and cold-induced crystallization processing on the supernatant at a temperature of 4-10° C., until supernatant crystals are forme Od in the supernatant; thereafter, making qualitative and/or quantitative analysis of the supernatant crystals to obtain supernatant-related parameters, the supernatant-related parameters including types and/or quantities of the supernatant crystals; and   wherein the method further comprises identifying, directly through image recognition, whether the supernatant crystals contain at least one of the following urolithiasis-related crystals: calcium oxalate, uric acid, calcium phosphate or brushite, ammonium magnesium phosphate or triple phosphate, and cystine.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the image recognition comprises:
 identifying a crystal as calcium oxalate when the image of said crystal is of at least one of shapes comprising octahedral shape, equilateral rhombic shape, elliptical shape, dumbbell shape, biconvex columnar shape, and drum shape;   identifying a crystal as uric acid when the image of said crystal is of at least one of shapes comprising irregular rhombic shape, square shape, blocky shape, multilayered lamellar shape, and petal shape;   identifying a crystal as calcium phosphate or brushite when the image of said crystal is of at least one of shapes comprising rod shape, bar shape, fagot shape, feather shape, and chrysanthemum shape;   identifying a crystal as ammonium magnesium phosphate or triple phosphate when the image of said crystal is of at least one of shapes comprising box-lid shape, roof shape, envelope shape, and coffin-lid shape; and   identifying a crystal as cystine when the image of said crystal is of at least one of shapes comprising regular hexagonal shape and multilayered hexagonal shape.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein in the step S2, performing continuous crystallization processing on the supernatant when the supernatant crystals contain the urolithiasis-related crystals, until the urolithiasis-related crystals in the supernatant crystals no longer increase in number thereof and no longer increase in size thereof. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises: identifying whether sediment crystals exist in the urinary sediment, and making qualitative and/or quantitative analysis of the sediment crystals, if existed, to obtain urinary sediment-related parameters, the urinary sediment-related parameters including types and/or quantities of the sediment crystals. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the method further comprises making dry chemistry analysis of the urine to obtain dry chemistry-related parameters. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein in step S2, performing the evaporation-induced crystallization processing on the supernatant at a temperature of 10-30° C., preferably at 18-25° C. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the method further comprises, assessing at least one of urinary calculus components and urolithiasis risk, based on the supernatant-related parameters or alternatively based on both the supernatant-related parameters and the urinary sediment-related parameters. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the method further comprises, assessing at least one of urinary calculus components and urolithiasis risk, based on the supernatant-related parameters, the urinary sediment-related parameters and the dry chemistry-related parameters. 
     
     
         9 . A urine testing system, the urine testing system comprising:
 a urine processing module configured to process urine to obtain urinary sediment and supernatant; and   a supernatant analysis module configured to perform crystallization processing on the supernatant and make analysis to obtain supernatant-related parameters;   wherein the supernatant analysis module is configured to perform evaporation-induced crystallization processing on the supernatant at a temperature of 4-55° C., or alternatively to perform both evaporation-induced crystallization and cold-induced crystallization processing on the supernatant at a temperature of 4-10° C., until supernatant crystals are formed in the supernatant, thereafter to make qualitative and/or quantitative analysis of the supernatant crystals to obtain supernatant-related parameters, the supernatant-related parameters including types and/or quantities of the supernatant crystals; and   wherein the supernatant analysis module is further configured to identify directly through image recognition whether the supernatant crystals contain at least one of the following urolithiasis-related crystals: calcium oxalate, uric acid, calcium phosphate or brushite, ammonium magnesium phosphate or triple phosphate, and cystine.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the image recognition comprises:
 identifying a crystal as calcium oxalate when the image of said crystal is of at least one of shapes comprising octahedral shape, equilateral rhombic shape, elliptical shape, dumbbell shape, biconvex columnar shape, and drum shape;   identifying a crystal as uric acid when the image of said crystal is of at least one of shapes comprising irregular rhombic shape, square shape, blocky shape, multilayered lamellar shape, and petal shape;   identifying a crystal as calcium phosphate or brushite when the image of said crystal is of at least one of shapes comprising rod shape, bar shape, fagot shape, feather shape, and chrysanthemum shape;   identifying a crystal as ammonium magnesium phosphate or triple phosphate when the image of said crystal is of at least one of shapes comprising box-lid shape, roof shape, envelope shape, and coffin-lid shape; and   identifying a crystal as cystine when the image of said crystal is of at least one of shapes comprising regular hexagonal shape and multilayered hexagonal shape.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the urine analysis module is configured to perform the evaporation-induced crystallization processing on the supernatant at a temperature of 10-30° C., preferably at 18-25° C. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the system further comprises a urinary sediment analysis module configured to identify whether sediment crystals exist in the urinary sediment, and to make qualitative and/or quantitative analysis of the sediment crystals to obtain urinary sediment-related parameters, the urinary sediment-related parameters including types and/or quantities of the sediment crystals. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the system further comprises a dry chemistry-related parameter acquisition module configured to make dry chemistry analysis of the urine to obtain dry chemistry-related parameters. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the system further comprises a data processing module configured to assess at least one of urinary calculus components and urolithiasis risk, based on the supernatant-related parameters or alternatively based on both the supernatant-related parameters and the urinary sediment-related parameters. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the system further comprises a data processing module configured to assess at least one of urinary calculus components and urolithiasis risk, based on the supernatant-related parameters, the urinary sediment-related parameters and the dry chemistry-related parameters. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the data processing module is configured to assess the urolithiasis risk as high risk when the sediment crystals are identified in the urinary sediment;
 the data processing module is configured to assess the urolithiasis risk as medium risk when the sediment crystals are not identified in the urinary sediment, and the supernatant crystals formed from the supernatant contain the urolithiasis-related crystals; and   the data processing module is configured to assess the urolithiasis risk as low risk when the sediment crystals are not identified in the urinary sediment, and the supernatant crystals formed from the supernatant contain none of the urolithiasis-related crystals.   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the urine analysis module is configured to perform evaporation-induced crystallization processing on the supernatant at a temperature of 10-30° C., preferably at 18-25° C. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the supernatant analysis module is configured to perform continuous crystallization processing on the supernatant until the urolithiasis-related crystals in the supernatant crystals no longer increase in number thereof and no longer increase in size thereof, when the supernatant crystals contain the urolithiasis-related crystals. 
     
     
         19 . A method for assessing at least one of urolithiasis risk, urolithiasis etiology and urinary calculus components based on urine testing of a subject, the method comprising the steps of:
 S1: processing the subject's urine to obtain urinary sediment and supernatant;   S2: performing crystallization processing on the supernatant and making analysis to obtain supernatant-related parameters, wherein in step S2, performing evaporation-induced crystallization processing on the supernatant at a temperature of 10-30° C., or alternatively performing both evaporation-induced crystallization and cold-induced crystallization processing on the supernatant at a temperature of 0-10° C., until supernatant crystals are formed in the supernatant, thereafter making qualitative and/or quantitative analysis of the supernatant crystals to obtain supernatant-related parameters, the supernatant-related parameters including types and/or quantities of the supernatant crystals, and wherein the crystallization processing is continued until the urolithiasis-related crystals in the supernatant crystals no longer increase in number thereof and no longer increase in size thereof when the supernatant crystals contain the urolithiasis-related crystals;   S3: identifying, directly through image recognition, whether the supernatant crystals contain at least one of the following urolithiasis-related crystals: calcium oxalate, uric acid, calcium phosphate or brushite, ammonium magnesium phosphate or triple phosphate, and cystine, wherein the image recognition comprises: identifying a crystal as calcium oxalate when the image of said crystal is of at least one of shapes comprising octahedral shape, equilateral rhombic shape, elliptical shape, dumbbell shape, biconvex columnar shape, and drum shape; identifying a crystal as uric acid when the image of said crystal is of at least one of shapes comprising irregular rhombic shape, square shape, blocky shape, multilayered lamellar shape, and petal shape; identifying a crystal as calcium oxalate when the image of said crystal is of at least one of shapes comprising octahedral shape, equilateral rhombic shape, elliptical shape, dumbbell shape, biconvex columnar shape, and drum shape; identifying a crystal as uric acid when the image of said crystal is of at least one of shapes comprising irregular rhombic shape, square shape, blocky shape, multilayered lamellar shape, and petal shape; identifying a crystal as calcium phosphate or brushite when the image of said crystal is of at least one of shapes comprising rod shape, bar shape, fagot shape, feather shape, and chrysanthemum shape; identifying a crystal as ammonium magnesium phosphate or triple phosphate when the image of said crystal is of at least one of shapes comprising box-lid shape, roof shape, envelope shape, and coffin-lid shape; and, identifying a crystal as cystine when the image of said crystal is of at least one of shapes comprising regular hexagonal shape and multilayered hexagonal shape;   S4: identifying whether sediment crystals exist in the urinary sediment, and making qualitative and/or quantitative analysis of the sediment crystals, if existed, to obtain urinary sediment-related parameters, the urinary sediment-related parameters including types and/or quantities of the sediment crystals; and   S5: assessing at least one of the urolithiasis risk, the urolithiasis etiology and the urinary calculus components of the subject, based on the supernatant-related parameters, or alternatively based on both the supernatant-related parameters and the urinary sediment-related parameters.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the step S5 further comprises:
 assessing the urolithiasis risk as high risk when the sediment crystals are identified in the urinary sediment;   assessing the urolithiasis risk as medium risk when the sediment crystals are not identified in the urinary sediment, and the supernatant crystals formed from the supernatant contain the urolithiasis-related crystals; and   assessing the urolithiasis risk as low risk when the sediment crystals are not identified in the urinary sediment, and the supernatant crystals formed from the supernatant contain none of the urolithiasis-related crystals.